Sting-out baffle for glass feeder rotor bearing



Patented May 3, 1955 dice menses STlNG-8UT RAFFLE 1 9R GLr-ldS FEEDER ROTG'R BEARING Karl E. Peiler, West Hartford Conn assignor to Emhart Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Come, a corporation of Delaware Application August 7, H53, Serial No. 372,853

3 Claims. (Cl; 49-55) This invention relates generally to improvements in glass feeders of the type which includes a rotary generally tubular refractory stirring implement, termed the feeder rotor, arranged to depend through an opening in the cover of the feeder spout into the molten glass in the latter. The upper end portion of the feeder rotor is held by an annular metallic carrier which is rotatably supported by hearing means a short distance above the portion of the spout cover that is provided with the opening through which the feeder rotor depends. There is sufiicient space between the wall of the opening in the spout cover and the portion of the feeder rotor therein for a sting-out therethrough of hot gases from the spout chamber and the present invention is particularly concerned with the problem of providing practical and effective means to protect the bearing and supporting means for the feeder rotor against the deleterious edects of the hot, oxidizing gases to which they are exposed by reason of the sting-out from the spout through th space between the wall of the opening in the spout cover and the feeder rotor depending through that opening. 5. Because of exposure to the sting-out gases from the feeder spout and the high temperature involved, bearings of a mechanical type for the feeder rotor frequently have failed after only a relatively short period of service, this despite the use of cooling air applied to the bearings and adjacent parts above the feeder spout cover. The metal ball hearings or rollers of conventional mechanical bearings may be seized because of the combination of high temperature and oxidizing action of the stingout gases thereon and this results in uneven wear on the rotating carrier of the depending feeder rotor. Air bearings have been employed instead of anti-friction mechanical bearings and these provide improvements over the mechanical bearings. However, there is still a tendency toward over-heating and warping of some of the relatively rotating metallic parts involved under some conditions of service.

An object of the present invention is to provide an effective feeder spout sting-out directing and deflecting means to prevent exposure of the feeder rotor bearing and adjacent parts to the sting-out gases and high temperature from the spout.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the stingout gases are caused to pass substantially horizontally outward from the upper end of the sting-out passage between the feeder rotor and the spout cover opening to an annular space between the spout cover and a flat annular bafile spaced a slight distance thcreabove and beneath the feeder rotor bearing and its metallic carrier, whereby the sting-out gases will be ditfuscd in the ambient atmosphere without being permitted to move upward against the feeder rotor bearing and carrier.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter be pointed out or become apparent from the following description of the embodiment thereof shown by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan sectional View along the line 11 2. of Fig. 2 showing an approximately longitudinal half portion of the feeder spout and portions of the feeder implements which extend through the spout cover opens.

ing, together with a baflle overlying a portion of the spout cover around the feeder rotor, the ballie being partially broken away at one place to reveal underlying parts;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section approximately on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 through the feeder spout and associate parts, showing the means for rotatably supporting the feeder rotor and the location of the baffle in relation to such means; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of the baffle and the means for supporting and positioning it on the spout cover.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the numeral 1 nates the spout portion of a feeder of the This spout, is provided with avertical. passage 2 in its bottom and with an orifice ring 3 suitably supported against the spout bottom at the lower end of the outlet passage.

The spout has a cover 5 directly above the bottom discharge passage 2 and in line therewith. 6 designates a vertical refractory plunger, '7 a vertical refractory glass discharge regu lating tube and 8 a generally tubular refractory glass stirring implement, being the feeder rotor hereinbefore referred to, all of which depend through the opening 5 in the relative positions shown. The feeder plunger 6 and the glass regulating tube '7 extend through the tubular stirring implement 8' and are supported at a higher level than the latter by suitable known means (not shown).

The refractory rotor 8 is formed with an outwardly projecting supporting flange 8f at its upper end, resting in a seat 9 formed on inturned flange 10 at the lower end of a generally cylindrical metallic carrier 11 having an outturned upper end portion 12 suitably supported by bearing means, generally designated 13, for rotation about a vertical axis aligned with the center of the bottom outlet passage 2 of the feeder spout. The rotor 3 comprises a plurality, three in the example shown, of segmental sections but, so far as the present invention is concerned, it may be considered as a single element or unit. Suitable means (not shown) may be employed to maintain the externally flanged upper end of rotor 8 seated in the annular carrier 11 so that rotation of the latter about its vertical axis will effect rotation of the rotor about the same axis.

In the example shown, the bearing 13 for the rotor carrier 11 is of the air discharge type and comprises a hollow-walled annular bearing air discharge member 14 mounted on an inturned flange 15 at the lower end of a stationary supporting ring 16 which comprises part of a main supporting arm indicated at 17 which is not further shown but which in a feeder of the type referred to extends from a suitable support (not shown) located at one side of the feeder spout to a predetermined position over the portion of the spout cover that is provided with the opening 5. Air under pressure is supplied to the internal chamber 18 of bearing air discharge member 14, as from a suitable supply pipe 19. The top wall of air discharge member 14 is provided with numerous air discharge orifices 24 through which air from the chamber 18 issues and provides an air cushion or film on which rides the outturned supporting upper end portion 12 of the feeder rotor car-. rier 11.

Some of the air that forms this hearing cushion or film escapes upwardly through a narrow space 21 between an upturned rim 22 on outturned supporting head flange 12 of the rotary carrier 11. Other air from the generally desigtype described.

glass discharge.

4 provided with an opening bearing cushion or film will pass downwardly through space 23 between the inner surface of air discharge member 14 and carrier 11 and thence through a downwardly opening annular outlet 24 between the inner peripheral edge of supporting flange 15 and the adjacent part of the flange 10 of carrier 11. The parts that have been described so far are known elements of a feeder of the type described and, per se do not form part of the present invention.

The wall of opening 5 in the spout cover is of relatively small or reduced diameter at Sr: from the upper surface of the cover downward for a short distance and then is cut back or outwardly flaring as indicated at 511. The portion of spout cover defining the upper part of opening 5 thus is in the form of a circular ledge, designated 25. The feeder rotor fl is formed with an external peripherally grooved or re-entrant surface portion 8a at an appropriate level to receive the ledge 25 which projects thereinto and is spaced slightly therefrom, the diameter of ledge 25 being slightly greater than that of the bottom of groove 8a but less than the outer diameters of the portions of rotor 8 which respectively are located directly above and below the ledge. The arrangement is such that while an annular space or passage, designated 26, for a sting-out of hot gases is provided around the portion of rotor 8 in spout cover opening 5, the escaping gases are bafiled and slowed down by being forced to travel inwardly around ledge 25 and finally outwardly through a vertically narrow horizontal exit portion 26a of the sting-out passage overlying the ledge. The course of sting-out gases through a vertical section of sting-out passage 26 is indicated by direction arrows in Fig. 2.

A flat, annular bafile 27 of suitably heat resistant metal or other material is mounted on the spout cover around and slightly spaced from the periphery of a portion of feeder rotor 8 at a level intermediate the upper surface of the spout cover and the plane of the bottom of the bearing structure supporting the rotor carrier 11. The baffle 27 comprises a plurality of segmental sections so that it can be installed in place. These are three in number in the example shown and are respectively designated 27a, 27b and 270, only fragmentary portions of the sections 27a and 27c being shown. Each of these sections is provided on its bottom adjacent to its opposite ends with short supporting legs 23 which may be integral therewith. A third intermediately located supporting leg 28a may be integrally formed or otherwise provided on its bottom and may be nearer the outer edge of the baffle section. The spout cover around the opening 5 therein may consist of relatively movable or separable refractory parts indicated at 4a. 4b and 40, respectively, and these may be overlaid in part by metal top plates 29a, 29b and 290, respectively. The supporting legs 28 of the bafile sections may be brought into contact with appropriately placed elements 30 fixed on the top plates so as to locate the baffle sections suitably around the projecting upper end portion of rotary member 8. In the example shown, the fixed position elements 30 are right angular in shape and each is fastened, as by rivets 31, to the underneath spout top plate with one leg thereof disposed generally radial with respect to the opening 5 and with the other leg turned laterally toward the second positioning element 30 for the same baffle section as shown for baffie section 2712 in Fig. 1. With this arrangement, the baffle section may be manipulated on the spout cover until the legs 28 thereof are located in the corners of the right angular positioning elements 30 as shown in dotted lines for the legs 28 of baffle section 271) and the positioning elements 30 provided for a bafile section 27b in Fig. 1. See also the full line showings of co-acting elements 28 and 30 in the upper left hand portion of Fig. l and in Fig. 3.

With the arrangement just described, an annular space configuration of the 4 32 will be provided under the baffle 27 and around the portion of feeder rotor 8 that is located directly above the sting-out passage ledge 25. Hot sting-out gases emerging from the outturned exit end portion 26a of the sting-out passage will pass outwardly through space 2 to the atmosphere.

Exhaust bearing air from passage 24 will divide, some air passing downward through a space 33 between the inner periphery of baffle 27 and the wall of the portion of rotor 8 encircled thereby, as indicated by arrows 34 in Fig. 2. This exhaust bearing air will mingle with the sting-out gases entering space 32 and pass outwardly through. that space to the atmosphere. Part of the exhaust bearing air may turn directly outward above the baffle 27 as indicated by the arrows 35 in Fig. 2.

The exhaust bearing air will tend to cool the bafile 27 and the parts around it and also serve as a gaseous baffle or shield against upward passage of the hot stingout gases or heat from the feeder spout.

With the arrangement described, the exhaust bearing air will not enter the spout chamber through passage 5 should there be only a low fire in the spout.

The configuration of the inner peripheral edge of bafile 27 preferably corresponds with the cross-sectional enclosed portion of the rotor 8. The configuration of the outer edge of bafiie 27 may depart from this pattern, as in the example shown.

In a feeder having a rotor bearing of the mechanical type for anti-frictionally supporting the rotor carrier, cooling air supplied thereto as is customary may be utilized to serve the function of the exhaust bearing air of the example that is shown in the drawings and has been particularly described herein.

Many modifications of and changes in the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and herein particularly described will be obvious to those skilled in the art and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details of such particular embodiment.

I claim:

1. In a glass feeder, the combination with a feed spout having a cover provided with an opening, a rotary annular carrier, bearing means rotatably supporting the carrier at level spaced a short distance above a portion of the cover surrounding the opening with the axis of the a carrier vertical and approximately in line with the center of said opening, a generally tubular refractory implement supported at its upper end by said carrier and depending therefrom through said opening in the spout cover with the outer periphery of the portion of the implement in said opening adjacent to but spaced slightly from the wall of the opening, and a bafile extending around a portion of said implement in a position between the spout cover and the annular carrier to intercept and deflect outwardly hot gases escaping from the feeder spout cover opening around the portion of the implement extending through said opening, said baffle being in the form of a fiat ring having an inner peripheral edge spaced only a slight distance from theperiphery of the portion of the refractory implement projecting therethrough, said hearing means including an annular bearing air discharge member operatively positioned with respect to the implement carrier and so that an annular space is provided between said bearing air discharge member and said carrier for directing exhaust bearing air downwardly onto said baffle.

2. In a glass feeder, the combination with a feed spout having a cover provided with an opening, a rotary annular carrier, bearing means rotatably supporting the carrier at level spaced a short distance above a portion of the cover surrounding the opening with the axis of the carrier vertical and approximately in line with the center of said opening, a generally tubular refractory implement supported at its upper end by said carrier and depending therefrom through said opening in the spout cover with the outer periphery of the portion of the implement in said opening adjacent to but spaced slightly from the wall of the opening, and a batfle extending around a portion of said implement in a position between the spout cover and the annular carrier to intercept and defleet outwardly hot gases escaping from the feeder spout cover opening around the portion of the implement extending through said opening, said bafile being in the form of a flat ring of substantial radial extent and consisting of a plurality of segmental sections, supporting legs being provided between the bottom of said bafile sections and the spout cover to support said bafile sections on the spout cover at a predetermined level thereabove.

3. In a glass feeder, the combination with a feed spout having a cover provided with an opening, a rotary annular carrier, bearing means rotatably supporting the carrier at level spaced a short distance above a portion of the cover surrounding the opening with the axis of the carrier vertical and approximately in line with the center of said opening, a generally tubular refractory implement supported at its upper end by said carrier and depending therefrom through said opening in the spout cover with the outer periphery of the portion of the implement in said opening adjacent to but spaced slightly from the wall of the opening, and a battle extending around a portion of said implement in a position between the spout cover and the annular carrier to intercept and deflect outwardly hot gases escaping from the feeder spout cover opening around the portion of the implement extending through said opening, said baffle being in the form of a fiat ring of substantial radial extent and consisting of a plurality of segmental sections, each of said bafile sections having a plurality of relatively spaced short depending legs on its bottom and positioning elements being fixed on said cover plate in positions to engage with some of the legs on said sections to locate said sections in assembled ring formation on the cover plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,212 Robertson Sept. 14, 1937 2,108,517 Wadsworth Feb. 15, 1938 2,305,739 Shackelford Dec. 22, 1942 2,474,615 Busquet June 29, 1949 2,665,059 Newton Jan. 5, 1954 

